The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for motion correction of image information collected in a cardiology inspection system, such as, a radionuclide angiographic system. More particularly, the invention is related to a method and apparatus for generating a dynamic set of time segmented images showing fluid flow properties within a patient's cardiac system having a radioactive dye passing through.
In the general field of diagnostic cardiology an array of new methodologies have been developed to evaluate the human cardiac system for purposes of diagnosing cardiac disease conditions and providing clinically useful information to the diagnostician. For example, it is known that useful information can be obtained by evaluating the fluid flow properties of the left ventricle of the heart. While such evaluations have lead to substantial improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease, substantial impediments still prevent reliable evaluation of cardiac disease conditions which might be revealed by substantially real time imaging of the cardiac system of a patient under physical stress, such as while exercising on a treadmill or exercise bicycle. Nuclear radiographic techniques are severely restricted by artifacts which can be introduced into the images by the motion of an exercising patient. Thus, evaluation of the details of such motion affected, nuclear radiographic data is more difficult and the results are frequently quantitively comprimised.